MADISON, Wis. – If the injury occurred on any other part of Collin Wilder’s body, the super senior safety for the University of Wisconsin would find a way to play. Broken bone? Cast it. Twisted ankle? Tape it. Dislocated finger? Splint it.
But for someone who has dreams and aspirations of playing in the NFL next season, Wilder wasn’t willing to roll the dice when his injury involved the spine.
“It was any other torn ligament, I don’t care. We’ll find a way,” Wilder said. “This stuff is a little more important with the body. It was a tough decision that I had to accept.”
Wilder announced on the school’s Twitter account Monday that a “serious injury” was keeping him out of the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State on December 30. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Wilder said he suffered ligament damage at the base of his spine in the regular-season finale at Minnesota. It was the only play Wilder had in the game, as he was ejected for targeting following the first play from scrimmage.
“When I hit him, I was ready to go back in the game,” Wilder said. “I was ready to rock. Minnesota was talking trash and I was ready to tell them, ‘I’ll be here all game.’”
But as he sat on the sidelines, Wilder’s back tighten to the point where he felt like a big knot was forming in the lower part of his neck. X-rays were negative but an MRI back on UW’s campus revealed the injury. No surgery will be needed, and doctors believe everything should return to normal during a six-week rest period, but any football activity before that could be catastrophic.
“If I were to come back and play (against Arizona State), that’s where the spine would be in danger,” Wilder said. “I was highly recommended not to play in this game.”
He added that the injury was a “blessing in disguise” considering he would have continued to play against the Gophers if the targeting call was reversed.
“Even if I did feel a little bit pain, I was still good enough to push through,” Wilder said. “Plus, it’s axe week. There’s no way I was going to tap out of that game … I did have no choice to go out of the game, so now it’s protecting the safety of my spine. I try to look at the silver linings of things.”
Losing Wilder is a significant blow to Wisconsin’s defense and roster. Choosing to return this season to improve his NFL Draft stock, Wilder was an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection this season after finishing sixth on the team in tackles (32) and having three interceptions and a forced fumble that he recovered. Two of those interceptions came on Senior Day as UW held off Nebraska.
“I just felt like I had the hot hand at the end of the season,” Wilder said. “The way I was practicing and the way it ended with Nebraska, even the first play with Minnesota, I was able to set the tone for the game. I felt like I had the hot hand. I was peaking at the right time. The hard part for me was that got taken away so quickly.”
He was also revered as one of Wisconsin’s vocal motivators, leading the charge to help the Badgers go on an eight-game winning streak that put them in a position to win the West Division championship. With Wilder out, UW’s top three safeties for the bowl game will likely be seniors Scott Nelson and juniors John Torchio and Travian Blaylock.
“The tough part is the time that I need (to recover) happens to be right now, which is my last little bit with this team,” said Wilder, who said he’ll travel with the team to the bowl. “(This) is the funnest part for me. The most important part for me is being with these guys.”
The passion Wilder has for Wisconsin stems from his belief that the Badgers saved his career. He declined a Wisconsin scholarship offer out of high school to play at Houston, near his hometown of Katy, Texas. He played for the Cougars for 2016 and 2017 but suffered a season-ending knee injury after just two games in his sophomore season.
The injury put him into a dark place and caused him to isolate from his teammates.
“I didn’t think anybody cared to really check on me, including the coaching staff,” Wilder said. “It was a tough culture at the time to deal with. I got so fed up to where I couldn’t be there anymore. I hated going into the building. I started to lose for the game. I remember just being in my car and just crying.
“On New Year’s Day, I prayed. I asked God for a life-changing event for me for 2018.”
After getting his release from Houston, Wilder got FCS offers from Lamar and Sam Houston State but wanted more. He heard that one of his high school coaches was heading to Madison for a coaching clinic and asked him to get in touch with then-wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore, who recruited Wilder out of high school.
Wisconsin was interested but the Badgers were pinched on scholarship offers. Wilder volunteered to walk on, which piqued Wisconsin’s interest. Following a visit to the school, the offer was made and accepted.
“I knew this was where I wanted to go,” he recalled.
The move paid off for both parties. Wilder was put on scholarship before the 2019 season and played in 32 games, making 14 starts, including 11 this season. In three seasons at Wisconsin, he finished with 81 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 16 passes defended, and five interceptions.
“It has truly been the best four years of my life,” Wilder said. “This year in particular with these guys has been the funnest time I’ve played football in a long time, probably ever. I’m truly grateful to be here to be a part of this program. All of this is way bigger than me, so I’m so grateful to just be a small piece of this program.”
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